Topsham law firm gives matching grant for Solidarity Harvest

BREWER, Maine — A Topsham law firm specializing in protecting workers’ rights has pledged a dollar-for-dollar matching grant of up to $5,000 to Food AND Medicine for its annual Solidarity Harvest.

The money raised between now and Nov. 25 by the Brewer group and Maine’s labor unions will be matched by McTeague Higbee. This is the second year the firm has offered a matching grant to the program.

The money will be used to provide food baskets to laid-off workers and their families.

“We are proud to stand with Food AND Medicine in support of such a worthy cause,” Jeffrey Cohen, managing partner at McTeague Higbee, said in a press release issued Tuesday. “As a firm that is dedicated to fighting for workers’ rights, we understand that now, more than ever, Maine’s families need our help. Last year, with our matching grant, Food AND Medicine was able to not only provide baskets to over 300 families in Maine, but also support 20 Maine farms. We hope our grant this year will encourage even more businesses, union members, and individuals to step forward in solidarity and give what they can to help our neighbors in need.”

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Food AND Medicine has organized the annual Solidarity Harvest since 2003. The event brings together unions, farmers, churches, and small businesses to create Thanksgiving baskets filled with local food to give to laid-off workers and families in difficult circumstances, according to the press release.

“We are so grateful for McTeague Higbee’s support of Solidarity Harvest last year, and again this year,” Willow Cordes-Eklund, organizer of Solidarity Harvest for Food AND Medicine, said in the press release. “Since all of the food in our baskets is grown and produced right here in Maine — from the cranberries to the turkeys — we are not only supporting families in need in Maine but also the farming families in our state.”